Sathya Sai Baba's body was kept for darshan at Sai Kulwant Hall for devotees to pay their last respects.

11 of 40

Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and still lives, has a university complex, a speciality hospital, airport, railway station and indoor and outdoor stadium.

12 of 40

There are also 1,300-odd Sathya Sai Baba centres across the world which run schools, health and cultural centres.

13 of 40

Such was the devotion that Sathya Sai Baba commanded that million of his followers had arrived from across the globe to their last respects to the spiritual leader.

14 of 40

The all-powerful caucus, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), established in 1972 to direct the management of his gargantuan empire, will call the shots after the spiritual guru ceases to be around as its chairman.

Eighty-six-year-old Sathya Sai Baba was hospitalised on March 28, 2011 following problems related to heart and respiration.

17 of 40

Sathya Sai Baba's empire also boasts of free educational institutions, hospitals and other charitable works in over 166 countries.

18 of 40

Late Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao with Sathya Sai Baba.

19 of 40

From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide but controversy also followed Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba all along.

20 of 40

Much of it is invested in schools, colleges, hospitals and other health facilities. Donations from his six million active devotees-another 31 million are intermittent followers-pour in, adding to the already full coffers of the trusts.

21 of 40

Late Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao with Sathya Sai Baba.

22 of 40

India had, and has, several godmen but none could match his name and fame. In fact, Sathya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe.

23 of 40

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general and speciality hospitals and mobile dispensaries.

Born into an ordinary family as Satyanarayana Raju in the sleepy Puttaparthi village in the dry Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on November 23, 1926, he was to later become Sathya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of the saintly Sai Baba of Shirdi.

26 of 40

Such is its clout that even presidents and prime ministers, among other high and mighty, are forced to drop protocol during their visits to pay respects to the Sathya Sai Baba.

27 of 40

Sri Sathya Sai Baba with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on March 13, 1999.

28 of 40

While Prashanti Nilayam is the Sathya Sai Baba's headquarters in Puttaparthi, Brindavan at Whitefield on the outskirts of Bangalore and Sai Shruti Ashram in Kodaikanal are the ones he goes to during summers.

29 of 40

As a child, Satyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans.

30 of 40

The Sathya Sai Baba trust has also commissioned and funded several drinking water projects, including one for 731 villages in Anantapur district, and helped in lining the sides of the Kandaleru-Poondi canal to take Krishna water to Chennai.

31 of 40

Now, Puttaparthi - which metamorphosed into a self-contained city - finds itself on the international map, thanks to the large number of the Baba's foreign devotees who visit Prasanthi Nilayam day in and day out. It boasts of an exclusive airport where chartered flights, carrying Baba's devotees from different parts of the globe, land.

32 of 40

Unquestioning faith and devotion is the hallmark of a Sathya Sai devotee. It has been ingrained so deeply in followers over the past seven decades that anyone raising doubts is spurned, if not turned away.

33 of 40

It was on October 20, 1940 at the age of 14 that Satyanarayana Raju declared himself as the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

34 of 40

There are nearly 200 relatives in the extended family who have opened restaurants and lodges in Puttaparthi itself or turned professional, banking on his influence and cashing in on his recommendations.

35 of 40

Sathya Sai Baba became famous for his magic tricks by producing objects from thin air. But he was reviled by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him with magic shows.

36 of 40

Apart from a devotee list that boasts of the who's who of the world of politics, sports and entertainment, Sathya Sai Baba has managed to create a gargantuan empire that is spread across 165 countries.

37 of 40

His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital.

38 of 40

The godman has institutionalised all the activities with help from trusted professionals, including eminent jurists like ex-chief justice of India P.N. Bhagwati and, in earlier years, Supreme Court judges V.R. Krishna Iyer and V. Balakrishna Eradi, retired Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Y.V. Anjaneyulu, besides politicians of all hues and bureaucrats.

39 of 40

In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks but survived.

40 of 40

Sathya Sai Baba's empire also has a digital radio network called Radio Sai Global Harmony.

Millions of Sathya Sai Baba's devotees mourned his death on the godman's first death anniversary on April 24, 2012.<br>

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

The godman passed away on April 24, 2011 in Puttaparthi after battling a series of breathing problems.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Thousands of devotees had turned up to pay their last respects to Sai Baba at Puttaparthi.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba's body was kept for darshan at Sai Kulwant Hall for devotees to pay their last respects.<br>

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Such was the devotion that Sathya Sai Baba commanded that million of his followers had arrived from across the globe to their last respects to the spiritual leader.<br>

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Eighty-six-year-old Sathya Sai Baba was hospitalised on March 28, 2011 following problems related to heart and respiration.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide but controversy also followed Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba all along.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

India had, and has, several godmen but none could match his name and fame. In fact, Sathya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Born into an ordinary family as Satyanarayana Raju in the sleepy Puttaparthi village in the dry Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on November 23, 1926, he was to later become Sathya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of the saintly Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sri Sathya Sai Baba with former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on March 13, 1999.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

As a child, Satyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Now, Puttaparthi - which metamorphosed into a self-contained city - finds itself on the international map, thanks to the large number of the Baba's foreign devotees who visit Prasanthi Nilayam day in and day out. It boasts of an exclusive airport where chartered flights, carrying Baba's devotees from different parts of the globe, land.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

It was on October 20, 1940 at the age of 14 that Satyanarayana Raju declared himself as the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba became famous for his magic tricks by producing objects from thin air. But he was reviled by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him with magic shows.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks but survived.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba, who was under treatment in Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences for multi-organ failure, had earlier shown positive but slow response to the treatment.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba&nbsp;has to his credit 13,000 institutions that run on the financial steam of a collective membership of about 37 million followers.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences in Puttaparthi is a 220-bed facility that provides free medical care.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and still lives, has a university complex, a speciality hospital, airport, railway station and indoor and outdoor stadium.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

The all-powerful caucus, the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), established in 1972 to direct the management of his gargantuan empire, will call the shots after the spiritual guru ceases to be around as its chairman.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba's empire also boasts of free educational institutions, hospitals and other charitable works in over 166 countries.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Much of it is invested in schools, colleges, hospitals and other health facilities. Donations from his six million active devotees-another 31 million are intermittent followers-pour in, adding to the already full coffers of the trusts.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust runs several general and speciality hospitals and mobile dispensaries.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Such is its clout that even presidents and prime ministers, among other high and mighty, are forced to drop protocol during their visits to pay respects to the Sathya Sai Baba.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

While Prashanti Nilayam is the Sathya Sai Baba's headquarters in Puttaparthi, Brindavan at Whitefield on the outskirts of Bangalore and Sai Shruti Ashram in Kodaikanal are the ones he goes to during summers.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

The Sathya Sai Baba trust has also commissioned and funded several drinking water projects, including one for 731 villages in Anantapur district, and helped in lining the sides of the Kandaleru-Poondi canal to take Krishna water to Chennai.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Unquestioning faith and devotion is the hallmark of a Sathya Sai devotee. It has been ingrained so deeply in followers over the past seven decades that anyone raising doubts is spurned, if not turned away.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

There are nearly 200 relatives in the extended family who have opened restaurants and lodges in Puttaparthi itself or turned professional, banking on his influence and cashing in on his recommendations.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Apart from a devotee list that boasts of the who's who of the world of politics, sports and entertainment, Sathya Sai Baba has managed to create a gargantuan empire that is spread across 165 countries.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

<p>The godman has institutionalised all the activities with help from trusted professionals, including eminent jurists like ex-chief justice of India P.N. Bhagwati and, in earlier years, Supreme Court judges V.R. Krishna Iyer and V. Balakrishna Eradi, retired Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Y.V. Anjaneyulu, besides politicians of all hues and bureaucrats.</p>

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

Sathya Sai Baba's empire also has a digital radio network called Radio Sai Global Harmony.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

According to Sathya Sai Baba's prophecy, he will reincarnate in the year 2030&nbsp;in Gunaparthi village in Karnataka's Mandya district.

Syndication:

Thumb Image:

Enable:

Enable

Image:

Credit/Source:

India Today

Caption:

<p>Alienated, some of Sathya Sai Baba's relatives joined atheists and other non-believers to denounce the welfare activities as well as the godman's legendary magical powers.</p>